Monday, July 12, 2010

According to the US Coast Guard's Admiral Thad Allen, the cap to seal the 'leak' could be in place as early as today. How many times have we heard this before? Also, the relief well if very close to the depth it needs to be. Does anyone else have the sickening feeling that it won't be the final solution? What then?

I know that I have dwindled off on the amount of posts each day on Twitter, but news on the oil spill is getting more sparse. If you find any interesting articles or videos, please send me a link on Twitter or email me at: BoycottBP2010@gmail.com.

If you live in the Gulf and have a personal story that you would like to share, I will post it here on the blog.

Also, if you are a blogger and would like to be on my Blog List, let me know. It doesn't have to be an oil spill related blog.

Any other comments, please sound off below.

Let's all cross our fingers as we near the 90 day mark that this well is on it's way to being sealed and we can focus on clean-up efforts.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

2 months. 2 MONTHS! I cannot believe this disaster has been going on for over 2 months. As I type those words, I have a hard time wrapping my brain around it. Even though everyone has been (rightfully) doubting BP from very early on, I really didn't expect to be sitting here, the 4th of July right around the corner, and still no end in sight! Everyone has been criticizing BP's crackpot attempts at closing this well, and as bad as I loathe everything about that company, I have been hoping that one of these times something would actually work how they said it was going to work!

Now the oil is rapidly coming ashore in not only Louisiana, but all the way east to Pensacola, Florida. Still I see people filling up at BP stations! WHY???? And I am so sick of people telling me it hurts the 'mom & pop' station owners. First off, as a consumer, I can choose to spend my money wherever I damn well please, and second of all, the vast majority of these stations aren't small family run businesses.

Today, not only were there sad stories about more dead sea creatures, there was the news of the Fishing Boat Captain who took his own life.

By the time they finally figure out how to cap the oil well, it will only be a small victory. No one knows how widespread this disaster is and how long the effects will last. Unfortunately, only time will tell.

Like so many other significant news stories, people will fall complacent to it. Sometimes it is easier to do that, than to deal with reality.

How are you all doing? If there is anything I can do to help, or if you have any personal accounts you would like to share with all of us, email me at: BoycottBP2010@gmail.com, and I will post to the blog.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I know many of us are feeling helpless about this disaster, and I encourage contacting your Representatives and Senators about how you feel. Take note of how they are voting and responding to the BP disaster and let your friends and families know their responses. Remember this come November when elections roll around.

There was a vote in the House of Representatives on June 10, 2010 to amend the Oil Pollution Act. I received the following information from Congress.org

This legislation would allow the Obama administration to withdraw more money from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund in order to better respond to the Gulf of Mexico oil accident. The Senate approved the bill the previous day by voice vote, and the president is expected to sign it.

This legislation passed 410-0. 20 House Members did not show up to vote. My Congresswoman, Michele Bachmann was one of them. I am going to write her a letter and inquire as to why she didn't bother to show up. I am going to list the others as well, and I encourage you to contact them if they represent you and ask why they didn't show up and how would they have voted if they had shown up.

Monday, June 14, 2010

I recently wrote to my Senators regarding the BP oil spill. This is my response from Senator Al Franken:

Dear S.,

Thank you for contacting me about the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with me on this critical issue.

As you know, on April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deep Water Horizon oil rig off the coast of Louisiana, leaving 11 workers dead. The rig caught fire and sank, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. This oil spill is a travesty -- it has devastated the environment, the economy, and the way of life for many communities along the Gulf Coast. I've been deeply disappointed by BP's neglect of safety and lack of progress in stopping the leak in the Gulf. This accident has also exposed the federal government's woefully inadequate oversight of the drilling industry.

First and foremost, every method at our disposal must be deployed to contain and clean-up the ongoing oil leak. Just as importantly, BP must be held responsible for all costs incurred as a result of the oil spill. By all accounts BP had no viable plan in place to deal with an accident of this magnitude. This is unacceptable, and taxpayers must not be left holding the bag. That's why I've cosponsored S. 3472, the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Unlimited Liability Act, which would eliminate the oil spill liability cap that currently limits economic damages paid by oil companies to $75 million. I am also an original cosponsor of S. 3462, which would grant subpoena power to President Obama's Oil Spill Commission that is investigating BP. This will ensure that the bipartisan commission has access to all the evidence it needs to fully investigate the causes of the spill and make meaningful recommendations on how to prevent similar disasters.

This spill is a call to action -- it is time to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation to end our country's dependence on fossil fuels and transition to clean, renewable energy sources like wind, biofuels, and biomass from Minnesota. Please be assured that I will continue to closely monitor the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and will keep your thoughts in mind should legislation regarding offshore drilling come before the Senate for consideration.

Thank you again for contacting me, and I look forward to hearing from you in the future on this or any other matter of concern to you.

Sincerely,

Signature

Al FrankenUnited States Senator

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Have any of you written to your Senators or Representatives? If so, what type of response did you receive?

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Yesterday it was reported that BP had bought up a bunch of ad space on Google and Yahoo. When you search for anything related to BP or the oil 'spill' a link to BP's Gulf Response PR page will be at the top of your screen.

I was just on my personal Facebook page and came across this gem:

All Facebook ads are posted with a little 'x' in the upper right hand corner. If you click on the 'x' it will bring up a question asking you why you don't like the ad. Your options are: Uninteresting, Misleading, Offensive, Repetitive, Other. I had a very difficult time choosing between Misleading and Offensive, but decided to go with Offensive. And since I did that, I will never have to see that ad again. A small, yet satisfying victory.

If only this advertising money was going towards saving wildlife and cleanup costs and the fishermen and everyone else affected by this disaster.